Translation guide
A cupboard is a piece of furniture or a built-in storage space with shelves and doors, used for storing dishes, food, or other household items. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is 食器棚 (shokkidana) for a freestanding dish cupboard, while built-in kitchen storage is often called 吊り戸棚 (tsuridodana) or 収納棚 (shūnōdana). For general storage cupboards, 戸棚 (todana) is a broad term.
A movable piece of furniture with shelves and doors, typically used in a kitchen or dining area to store plates, cups, and other tableware.
The standard term for a cupboard specifically designed for storing dishes and kitchenware. It is a common household item in Japan.
新しい食器棚を買いました。
I bought a new cupboard for dishes.
食器棚にお皿をしまってください。
Please put the plates away in the cupboard.
A general term for a cupboard or cabinet with doors, not limited to dishes. It can refer to any storage cupboard in a kitchen, living room, or elsewhere.
戸棚の中に缶詰がたくさんあります。
There are many canned goods in the cupboard.
A more specific term combining 食器 (dishes) and 戸棚 (cupboard). It is less common than 食器棚 but still understood.
祖母の家には古い食器戸棚があります。
There is an old dish cupboard at my grandmother's house.
A cupboard that is part of the kitchen cabinetry, often mounted on the wall or built into the kitchen units.
Refers specifically to wall-mounted cupboards in a kitchen, often above the counter. Common in Japanese kitchens.
吊り戸棚に調味料を入れています。
I keep the seasonings in the wall cupboard.
A general term for storage shelves or cupboards, often built-in. It can refer to kitchen storage or other household storage.
キッチンの収納棚を整理しました。
I organized the kitchen cupboards.
Literally 'cupboard of a system kitchen', used when referring to the modular cupboards in a modern fitted kitchen.
システムキッチンの戸棚が使いやすいです。
The cupboards in the fitted kitchen are easy to use.
A cupboard used in other rooms for storing clothes, books, or miscellaneous items.
The same general term can be used for any cupboard with doors, regardless of location.
廊下の戸棚に掃除道具をしまっています。
I keep the cleaning supplies in the hallway cupboard.
A broader term meaning 'storage furniture', which can include cupboards, cabinets, and shelving units.
A cupboard, often containing a water heater or boiler, used to air and dry clothes. This is a British concept not common in Japan.
Since airing cupboards are not standard in Japanese homes, you need to describe it. Mention a warm storage space for drying clothes.
イギリスの家には、衣類を乾かすための温かい戸棚があります。
In British homes, there is a warm cupboard for drying clothes.
The English word 'cupboard' usually refers to a storage space with shelves and doors, often in a kitchen. In Japanese, クローゼット (kurōzetto) is used for a clothes closet, not a cupboard. Use 戸棚 or 食器棚 for cupboards.
棚 (たな) simply means 'shelf' and does not imply doors. If you want to emphasize that it has doors, use 戸棚 (とだな). In many contexts, 棚 is acceptable if the presence of doors is clear from context.
この収納家具はリビングにぴったりです。
This storage cupboard fits perfectly in the living room.